Advertisement

Bitter cold will slam Canada with some lows plunging to -50 C

Click to play video: 'Polar vortex: What you can do to protect yourself from the extreme cold'
Polar vortex: What you can do to protect yourself from the extreme cold
The coldest air mass on Earth is over Ontario today—with the winter getting the best of us, Dr. Gorfinkel joins us for this week's health headlines and our Friday check-up. What are the warning signs we should look out for when it comes to exposure, given the bitter cold in the East, how can we protect ourselves? In addition, we bring you the latest on Health Canada's warning about fake or unauthorized GLP-1 drugs. – Jan 23, 2026

Environment Canada has issued several orange-level cold warnings across the country on Friday morning, as some regions are expected to see temperatures as low as -50 with the wind chill.

All of Saskatchewan and Manitoba are under the orange level — a second-tiered warning — for cold. These are issued when severe weather is likely to cause significant damage, disruption, or health impacts.

A large section of northwestern Ontario is also under the same warning.

According to the warning, the “multi-day episode” of very cold wind chills continues with temperatures ranging anywhere from -40 to -50 across the Prairie provinces, and -40 to -48 in northwestern Ontario.

“Extreme cold puts everyone at risk,” Environment Canada said in its alert.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

“Dress warmly. Dress in layers that you can remove if you get too warm. The outer layer should be wind resistant. If it’s too cold for you to stay outside, it’s too cold for your pet to stay outside. Make sure your home is well-insulated, the heating system is working efficiently and cracks and drafts are sealed.”

Story continues below advertisement

Meanwhile, the rest of Ontario and most of Quebec won’t see much relief, as an Arctic airmass hovers over the region.

The rest of Ontario is under the yellow-level cold warning, which is the most common alert, and much of it is expected to see wind chill temperatures of -40 to -45. Further south in the province, around the Greater Toronto Area is expected to see wind chills near -30 to -33. Cottage county and east into Peterborough, Kingston and Ottawa will see colder temperatures of -35 to -40 with the wind.

Quebec is also under the same coloured warning where temperatures there are expected to hit -35 to -40 with the wind chill.

Out in the Maritimes, all of New Brunswick is expected to see temperatures between -30 C and -37 beginning Saturday, with the coldest temperatures expected in northwestern areas of the province until Sunday.

Click to play video: 'CAA phones jammed as cold spell continues'
CAA phones jammed as cold spell continues

Sponsored content

AdChoices